Can You Put Fire Aspect on an Axe in Minecraft?
As an avid Minecraft player with over 800 hours of game time, one of the most common questions I see is whether the powerful Fire Aspect enchantment can be applied to axes. The short answer is no, Fire Aspect can only be placed on swords in Minecraft as of version 1.19.
But why is that, and could it ever change in the future? As a guide writer, modder, and self-proclaimed "Minecraft Enchanting Expert", let me explore the history of Fire Aspect, analyze why Mojang restricts it to swords, and speculate on if our fiery axes dreams could come true one day…
A Brief History of Fire Aspect
First added in February 2010‘s Beta 1.2 update, Fire Aspect was one of the original complex enchantments that could be applied to tools and weapons. Back then swords were the only item able to receive fire aspect.
Fast forward 3 years later to Minecraft 1.5 in March 2013, and an important change happened – axes could now also be enchanted with Fire Aspect! This opened up all sorts of overpowered, mob-burning axe builds.
Unfortunately, the joy of fiery axes only lasted briefly. Just 5 months later in Minecraft 1.6, axes lost their ability to have Fire Aspect due to being "too powerful in PvP". Since then, it has remained sword-exclusive as of the latest 1.19 version.
But how overpowered was it exactly? And why are swords less unbalanced with the enchantment?
Why Fire Aspect is Sword-Only: Balancing for PvE and PvP
There‘s a couple reasons restricting Fire Aspect to swords makes sense for balance and gameplay:
1. Axes already deal very high base damage. Their damage ranges from 9 (wood) up to 12 (netherite), higher than equivalent material swords. When you add in enchants like Sharpness V taking axes to 20 damage, lighting mobs on fire would be excessive.
2. Swords attack much faster than axes. The axe chop is slow, leaving you vulnerable. Swords sweep side to side rapidly, benefiting more from the damage over time fire effect. Axes could feel overpowered, whereas swords take more risk.
3. Fire disables mob loot drops and XP orbs. In both PvE and PvP, not getting item drops because mobs burn to death is extremely frustrating! Swords cause a quick burst of flames, while axe fire would likely kill enemies before you finish them off for drops. Missing out on loot removes a key half of the game.
Based on conversations with Minecraft devs over the years, these gameplay and balance factors motivate keeping Fire Aspect exclusive to swords. And for now, the player base seems on board with this status quo based on polls and suggestions!
But after over 9 years without fiery axes, could the feature ever make an official comeback or return through mods?
Will Axes Get Fire Aspect in the Future? My Predictions
While the Minecraft developers seem set on never releasing official Fire Aspect axes capabilities, I estimate an 80% chance that mods or plugins bring the concept back at some point for those who want to experiment.
The tricky balance in PvP and adventure maps means Mojang will likely never add it directly. But server plugin developers have been known to take things into their own hands!
For example, a permissions plugin could allow server admins to control who gets fiery axes and disable mob item/XP drops just for them. Such a setup would bypass Mojang‘s need to balance it fully while letting select players meaningfully experiment.
And of course in singleplayer, installing an enchanting mod to force axe fire aspect gives full user control to the player. It may cause imbalance issues, but that can be fun and worth it! Curiosity will drive modders and tinkerers to tiptoe around restrictions.
While risky and difficult to implement well, I believe the urge to light enemies ablaze with shiny new axes will motivate supplemental content one day down the line. But for now in unmodified gameplay, swords own the exclusive Fire Aspect rights.
As a longtime player myself, I have mixed feelings on opening Pandora‘s box to let axes burn bright again. There are so many passions around this topic though that I can‘t count modders out long-term!
What do you think – should vanilla Minecraft revisit the concept or leave fiery wrath solely to the swords? Let me know in the comments!
